Crossing safety device and operating mechanism therefor



Feb." 28, 1928.

F. L. SIANO CRdSSiNG SA FBTY DEVICE AND OPERATING MECHANISM THEREFOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 00 12.

J mmie! N. e EN.

Feb. 28, 1928. I

' F. L- SIANO CROSSING SAFETY DEVICE AND OPERATING MECHANISM THEREFOR amnion J mm Patented Feb. 28, 1928.

' UNITED STATES FELIX L. fiIANO, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.

CROSSING SAFETY DEVICE AND OQPERAT ING MECHANISM TEEREFOR.

Application filed October 30, 1925. Serial No. 65,840.

This invention relates to devices for guarding against accidents at crossings, such as at the intersections of roadways with railways or street intersections.

The object of the invention is to provide a barrier to be projected into the path of vehicles moving in one direction, while vehicles are allowed to pass in an intersecting direction.

The invention consists in a gate or barrier arranged to be moved into the path of vehicles moving in one direction, while vehicles are allowed to pass in an intersecting direction, and in'the mechanism for imparting movement to such gate or barrier, including a motor and gearing by which the gate is moved, and in switch mechanism either manually or automatically operated for ener gizing and deenergizing the motor, as I will proceed now to explain and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a sectional front elevation illustrating the device of my invention. Fig. 2 is a. section taken substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a. semi-diagrammatic view illustrating the motor controlling mechanisms and the electric circuits connected therewith. Fig. 4 is a diagram: matic view showing the arrangement of the device of my invention at a street intersection.

Although the invention is illustrated in the drawings, and particularly in Fig. 3, in its adaptation as a safety device for use at the intersection of a roadway with a railway, it is to be understood that its usefulness is not limited to such an installation, but, as hereinbefore indicated, it may be used at any point where arteries of traffic intersect.

In the embodiment shown, 1 may be taken to be the surface of a street or other roadway adjacent to arailway. Below the level of the street, I provide a pit 2 in which is arranged the machinery for operating my device.

Extending through a slot 3 in the surface of the roadway 1, is agate 4 provided at its ends with rollers 5 which cooperate with suitable grooves or guides 6 formed in pillars 7 extending above and below the surface of the roadway. Theseguides -6 maintain the gate in proper upright .position during its u ward and downward movements hereina'ter explained.

The gate carries at suitable intervals on its two sides, racks 8 and 9 respectively with which mesh gears 10 and 11 respectively. The gears 10 are mounted on a longitudinal shaft 10 and are driven through a pinion 12 on the shaft 13 of a reversible electric motor 14 or the like, which pinion meshes with a gear 12 on the shaft 10. The gears 11 are mounted on a shaft 11 and are driven by a pinion 15 through bevel-gearing, indicated at 16 by means of a shaft 17 which in turn is driven through bevel-gearingindicated at 18 from the motor shaft 13.

By this arrangement, it will be seen that when the motor 14 is operated in one direction, the gate will be lowered, and when it is operated in the opposite direction, the gate will be raised.

Due to the weight of the gate itself, its lowering movement may occur somewhat rapidly, and in order to absorb the shock of its descent, I provide dashots or buffers 19 against which the lower on s 20 of the racks Sand 9 may strike.

In order that the slot 3 in the roadway ina be covered for the passage of vehicles, an I to exclude dirt, snow, ice and other material from the pit 2, I provide a pivoted cover 21 adapted to be raised by the gate upon its ascent, and provided with a spring 22 to close it upon descent of the gate below the surface of the roadway.

As illustrated in Fig. 4, andas would he the case at the intersection of the roadway with a railway, a gate similar in all respects to that just described would have to be provided at each side of the intersection. Both of such gates may, however, be operated by the same motor, by the simple expedient of extending a shaft 23 beneath the railway or roadway and connecting it by means of bevel-gearing similar to the gearing 16 and 18 with shafts and gears similar to the shafts and gears 10, 11' and 10, 11, respec tively, hereinbefore described.

As already indicated, my invention. as shown in the drawings, is adapted articularly for installation at the intersection of a roadway with a railway, and in this form of the invention, it is possible to so arrange means for controlling the operation of the motor 14, that the same may be energized and deenergized upon the approach of a train or car to the intersection, and its passage thereover respectively. Such a control mechanism is illustrated in F1 1 Referring now particularly to this figure (Fig. 3), it will be seen that I provide adJacent to one rail 24 of the track, at some distance from the approach to the intersection, a depressible member 25 arranged for slidlng movement in a suitable bearing sleeve 26 and adapted upon depression by the wheel of a car travelling on the track to rock a pivoted switch member 27 to close a circuit by ongagement thereof with a complemental switch member 28, as will be hereinafter described. A similar arrangement of depressible member 29, sleeve 30, pivoted switch member 31 and complemental switch member 32 is provided at some-distance from the other side of the intersection.

iVith the parts shown in the positionillustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, that is with the gate raised, it must be assumed that a car or train has passed over and depressed the depressible member 25 and caused the motor 14 to raise the gate. The car or train now having passed completely over the intersection, will depress the member 29 and cause the pivoted switch member 31 to engage with its complemental switch member 32.

The switch members 27 and 31 are interconnected by means of trip levers 33 and 34 respectively, and a connecting rod 35, so that when contact is made between the switch members 27 and 28, contact between switch members 31 and 32 will be broken and vice versa.

Ar anged atone end of the gate is a slidcontrol rod 36 having an abutment 37 at its bottom and an abutment 38 at its top, and carrying switch plates 39 and 40 at its bottom and top respectively, adapted, upon movement of the control rod 36 to close a circuit through contact members 41, 42 and 43, 44 respectively. The control rod 36 is moved up and down in response to the movement of the gate by contact of the bottom and top of the gate with the abutments 37 and 38 respectively, so that when the gate moves up, it will, by striking against the abutment 38, raise the control rod 36 and break the contact between the plate 39 and member 42, at the same time making contact between the plate 40 and the members 43 and 44.. 7 Similarly, when the gate moves down, it will strike against the abutment 37, will pull the rod 36 down, will break the contact between the plate 40 and the mem ber 43, and will make contact between the plate 39 and the members 41 and 42.

The normalposition for the gate is that in which it is lowered beneath the level of the roadway. In this position, the lower portion of the gate has pushed the control rod 36 down, so that the plate 39 is in con tact with the contact members 41 and 42. Now, with the gate in this position and assuming that the depressible member 25 is in its raised position, and that, therefore the switch members 27 and 28 are out of contact, there will be no circuit through the motor 14, for the reason that, although the switch members 31 and 32 will be in engage ment, the contact plate 40 will be out of contact with contact member 43. As soon, however, as the depressible member 25 is depressed, and the switch members 27 and 28 are engaged, a circuit will be established through wire 45, motor 14, :1 source of cur rent, shown as a battery at the right of the motor, wire 46, contact member 42, plate 39,

contact member 41, and wire 47. The motor will thus be energized and will rotate the gearing to raise the gate. As soon as the gate strikes against the abutment 38, it will raise the rod 36 along with it, thereby causing the plate 39 to move away from contact member 42 and breaking the circuit through the motor, thus stopping the ascent of the gate.

N ow, when the train passes over the intersection and depresses the member 29, and establishes contact between the switch members 31 and 32, at the same time breaking the contact between the switch members 27 and 28 and re-elevating the member 25, a circuit will be established through the wire 48, contact member 44, plate 40, contact member 43, a source of current, shown as a battery at the lett otthe motor, motor 14, and wire 49, thus reversing the motor and causing it to rotate in a direction opposite to that necessary to raise the gate, and consequently rotating the gearing in a direction to lower the gate. This lowering of the gate will continue until the lower portion of the gate strikes'against the abutment 37 and thereby moves the rod 36 downwardly until contact between the plate 40 and member 43 is broken, thus breaking the motor circuit and stopping the descent of the gate, and at the same time re-establishing contact between the plate 39 and the contact members 41 and 42.

If desired, red lights and a bell 51 may be provided as warning signals when the gate is in raised position, these red lights and bell being arranged to have a circuit closed through them when the plate 40 is in contact with the members 43 and 44.

Sin'iilarly, green lights 52 may be provided in circuit with the plate 39 and contact members 41 and 42, whereby the green lights are lighted when the gate is down and the intersection is clear.

In Fig. 4, I have shown an arrangement of the device of my invention at the intersection of two streets, it being necessary in such an installation to have four gates, one of which is arranged in each approach to the intersection. The two gates a and b of one street are operated simultaneously by one set of devices as hereinbefore described, and the gates c and d are operated by a similar separate "set of devices.

e represents a booth in which a traffic officer may be stationed, and instead of the depressible devices 25 and 29 shown in Fig. 3 and described in connection therewith, he may have a pair of ordinary snap switches for establishing the desired circuits through the motors 14; the members 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43 and 44 being retained in the same arrangement and having the same functions as previously described.

I have hereinbefore described certain details of construction of my device, but it is to be understood that various means may be substituted therefor without in any way changing the function thereof. For example, means other than the trip levers 33 and 34 and the rod 35 might be used for tripping one of the switch members 27 or 31 inresponse to movement of the other. Also various changes might be made in the arrangement of the devices operated by the gates for controlling the various circuits.

Various other changes in details of construct-ion and arrangement of parts are .contemplated as within the spirit of the invention and the. scope of the following claims. 7

What I claim is 1. In a crossingsafety device, a movable barrier, means including a motor for imparting movement to said barrier, means for energizing said motor including a source of power and train-operated switches for controlling same, a slidable control member operable by said barrier at the limits of its movement and carrying circuit-making contact plates, stationary contact members arranged for cooperation with said contact plates for establishing separate circuits through said motor in response to the closing of said switches to thereby effect the raising and lowering of said barrier, and means connecting said switches whereby closing of one of same will open the other and vice versa.

2. In a crossing safety device, a movable barrier, means including a reversible electric motor and gearing for raising and lowering said gate, an electric power circuit for energizing said motor, train-operated switches for controlling said circuit, a slidable control member operable by said barrier at the limits of its movement and carrying circuitmaking contact plates, stationary contact members arranged for cooperation with said contact plates for establishing separate circuits through said motor to cause same to rotate in one direction to operate said gearing to raise said barrier in response to the closing of one of said switches and to rotate inan opposite direction to operate said gearing to lower said gate in response to the closing of the other of said switches, and means providing a connection between said switches whereby closing of one of same will open the other and vice versa.

3. In a. crossing safety device, the combination with a' railway crossing of a movable gate arranged to regulate traffic across the railway tracks, a motor and power circuit and operating connections between said motor and gate for moving said gate into and out of traffic obstructing position, a switch operable upon approach of a railway car to said crossing to close a circuit through said motor to cause same to raise the gate to traflic obstructing position, a switch operable by said car after its passage over said crossing to close a circuit through said motor to cause same to lower said gate, connections bet-ween said switches whereby closing of one of same will operate to open the other, and means operable by said gate at the upper and lower limits of its movement for opening said circuits respectively.

4. In a crossing safety device, the combination with a railway crossing of a movable gate arranged to regulate traffic across the railway tracks, a motor and power circuit and operating connections between said motor and gate for moving said gate into and out of traflic obstructing position, a switch operable upon approach of a railway car to said crossing to close a circuit through said motor to cause same to raise the gate to trafiic obstructing position, a switch operable by said car after its passage over said crosscause same to lower said gate, depressible members adjacent to the railway rails for closing. said switches in response to passage thereover of a wheel of said car, connections between said depressible members whereby depression of one of same will elevate the other, and means operable by said gate at the upper and lower limits of its movement for opening said circuits respectively.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 30th day of October A. D.

FELIX L. SIANO.

big to close a circuit through said motor to 

